A number of hinge connections are well known in the art. Well known hinge connections include those joining two members using hinge pins, in a door hinge or an eyeglass hinge, or those comprising a ball and socket arrangement found, for example, in a plastic cosmetics container. The disadvantage of a pin-type hinge connection is the relatively high cost of forming accurately aligned and well-fitted openings for receiving a pin. Further, the pin or its receiver may be broken or displaced. The disadvantage of a ball and socket hinge connection is that the ball is essentially free floating and therefore the member containing the ball portion of the hinge is frequently displaced from the member containing the socket edges. Further, one or more of the balls and/or sockets may be easily broken.
In addition, a hinge connection comprised of plastic, such as a lid to a disposable plastic box, may also be constructed by ultrasonically welding the edge of the lid to the outer edge of the receptacle. However, this method of hinge construction is relatively expensive and the welded material may eventually break apart. Further, the lids of such containers do not remain opened, e.g. the lid tends to fall shut, which may be an impediment to the intended use of the container. Therefore, there exists a need for a relatively low cost, sturdy hinge which enables an attached lid of a container to remain in an open position.